


Favortism

by Punzel23



Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: Melendaire, favortism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:15:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25060723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Punzel23/pseuds/Punzel23
Summary: Due to boredom, we started watching New Amsterdam (which is actually a good show).  This was inspired by Max telling Helen that he did favor her (and replying as though it was no big deal at all just a fact).  Hope you enjoy!
Relationships: Claire Browne/Neil Melendez
Comments: 51
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

“What I have is a group of ambitious young residents who are struggling to figure out how to be cooperative as well as competitive.”  
“You’re not helping them figure it out by suggesting they resist taking complaints up the chain of command” Audrey replied annoyed  
“I’m sorry you’ve had to waste your time dealing with this but there really isn’t….” he tried to explain before she cut him off.  
“Neil. I’m not wasting my time, you do have an issue and you’ve got to stop pretending you don’t.” Audrey said as she turned and walked away  
*****************************************************************************

“See you tomorrow at the track”  
“I uh, wanted to talk to you about that.. I can’t do this anymore”  
“It’s just a run at a public track. Its not like we’re meeting at a hotel”  
“It’s just, I shouldn’t be socializing with residents outside of work. Any of you”  
“Neil. I’ve been going through a tough time, our friendship; having someone I can talk to, it helps.”  
“I’m not abandoning you. I’ll be there at work to support you. You’ve got your therapist, your going to be fine”  
“This is exactly why women have such a hard time finding mentors. No one questions when guys hang out but anytime a woman wants to build a totally appropriate relationship with a male colleague the stupid rumors start.”  
“I agree. But the rumors have started” 

********************************************************************************  
Neil walks into Audrey’s office and sits his bag down in a chair.  
“You are right” he says sitting down in the other chair.  
Audrey looks up confused. “While I love hearing that would you care to expand on what I was right about?”  
“I favor Dr. Browne” he said sitting back in the chair  
“Um” Audrey stuttered some as she got up to quickly close her door she’ll never understand why it’s times like these that he doesn’t know how to use an inside voice.  
“What do you mean exactly?” she asked walking back over and leaning on her desk.  
“You told me I had a problem with favoritism and I thought about it a lot, and you’re right”  
Audrey looked away trying to decipher what he was saying before looking back over towards him.  
“Ok” she said taking a breath.  
“I still stand by my statement that there is nothing inappropriate going on though” He says confidently  
“You just said you favor Dr. Browne, you don’t think that’s inappropriate?” she asked thrown off guard.  
“No. I don’t.” he replies  
Audrey scoffs. “How so Neil?” she asks crossing her arms.  
“Dr. Browne is an excellent doctor. She consistently gets stellar patient care reviews, has proven herself in surgeries and problem solving, she’s easy to get along with and you don’t have to tip toe around things for fear of offending her. If she has a problem she brings it up for discussion so it can be hashed out. It is not my fault that she is easy to work with and I don’t think it’s fair to purposely avoid her ideas or suggestions because other people are insecure.”  
“Other people are insecure” she repeats shaking her head  
“They’re a competitive group and I take the time to listen to their input for every patient we work on. I use my experience and knowledge to determine what may be the best route. There have been many times when I went along with someone else’s idea, it isn’t that I think Dr. Browne is always right. Is she evenly tempered and easy to work with? Yes. Does that make me more apt to listen to her? Probably. But that’s life and these residents have to learn how to work cooperatively.”  
“And the fact that she is attractive has nothing to do with your decisions” Audrey asked  
“Absolutely not” Neil replied scoffing  
“But you do find her attractive?” Audrey asked  
“Are we judging her and limiting her possibilities because you are labeling her as attractive?” Neil asked  
“No, that’s absurd. I am asking you if you find her attractive” Audrey replies  
“That has nothing to do with anything” he answers  
“But it does.” She says throwing up her hands  
“So you’re saying that you got the Chief of Surgery position because the Board has more male members and they thought you were pretty?”  
“What? No” she scoffed  
“That’s essentially what you’re saying right now” he said rolling his eyes  
“No, it’s not Neil.” She replied rubbing her temples  
He stands up and grabs his bag  
“Anyone in the same room with the two of you, God forbid the same elevator, can feel the tension between you. It’s impossible that you are *that* oblivious to it” she blurts out frustrated that he seems to be dancing around the issue.  
“What do you want me to say?” he asked clearly flustered. “I do not treat any of my residents with anything less than respect. I find it completely sexist and absurd that you are wanting to call me out on a completely appropriate relationship with one of them because she is female and attractive. I would think that YOU more than anyone would not judge another woman for that.” He said his voice slightly raised. Shaking his head he walked out of the office.  
He pushed through the double glass doors to the stairwell. Hearing the loud noise behind her Claire turns around and looks to see him coming up the flight of stairs behind her so she waits a second.  
“You ok?” she asks seeing the mad look on his face.  
“Fine” he replies as they walk up the stairs  
“What happened?” she asks knowing there’s something behind his attitude  
He keeps walking and she grabs his jacket sleeve.  
“Did I do something?” she asks confused  
“Other than being smart, ambitious and caring? No. You haven’t.” he huffed turning back around  
Claire stood back, it felt like that was a backhanded compliment and while she wasn’t aware of anything she’d done to deserve it she realized this wasn’t the time to press it so she held back and let him walk ahead.  
Getting to the floor he pushes open the door and starts walking towards his office before he realizes she’s not with him. He slows down and looks back and sees the doors just now opening. She walks towards him however avoids eye contact as she reaches him she doesn’t stop.  
“Claire” he says as she approaches  
“Dr. Melendez” she nods and keeps walking past him  
He takes a deep breath and sighs. It’s going to be a fantastic day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does everybody see it but Neil and Claire?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was initially going to be a one-off, but I think it may be fun to explore some, what do you say? :) Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!!!
> 
> Also, funny side note for anyone who watches New Amsterdam initially when Claire and Nurse Sanchez talk I had written “what do you need” which would have of course been in a polite tone but it didn’t feel quiet right and even though I was reluctant I used Max’s go to line “how can I help?” 😂

**-Shaun-**

  
“I need tomorrow off” Shaun says as he comes up beside Claire.

“Ok” she replies wondering why she should care. She’s on the schedule so it’s not as if she can cover for him.

“It’s too late for me to request it” he adds

“Ok” she replies again still wondering why he’s telling her this

“I need you to ask Dr. Melendez to approve it” he says coming to a sudden stop.

“What? Why would I ask?” she asks turning around to face him

“Because you are his favorite and if you ask he won’t say no” Shaun explains confidently 

“First of all, he doesn’t have favorites. Second of all, yes, he will and it’s not my place to ask for you. You ask him” she tells him as she turns to walk away before turning around

“Why do you need the day off Shaun?” she asks curiously

“Because Leah is off and I wanted to do something with her” Shaun replies

Claire rolls her eyes and keeps going.

**-Patient: Tommy -**

“How are you feeling today Tommy?” Claire asked entering the patient’s room.

Tommy was a seventeen-year-old who just had heart surgery and had chronic high blood pressure. He’s still in the hospital for observations and they want to be sure he’s not too active before he should be. 

“Good” he replies

Claire checks his vitals and makes sure that everything is as it should be. 

“Everything is looking good, you’re right on track. If you need anything let me know” she smiles and starts to leave

“Hey Dr. Browne?” Tommy calls out

“Yeah?” she asks

“Can you ask Dr. Melendez if he will approve me having my game console hooked up in here? They said the attending physician had to approve”

Claire laughed. “Actually, I think he plans on stopping by in a bit to check on you so you can ask, but I can give him a heads up about it”

“Would you mind just asking him for me? Please? Tell him it would help in my recovery time and you think it would be good for me.”

“You can ask him. He won’t bite” Claire laughed

“He likes you though. And if you ask he’ll be more willing to say yes rather than to just a kid that’s bored. I get ‘maybe you should take this time to rest’, ugh” Tommy said throwing his hands up dramatically.

Claire laughed. “He doesn’t like me more. I’ve really got no idea why people say that” she said shaking her head

“Have you seen the way he looks at you? It’s pretty obvious you have a spell over him” Tommy replies

“That is insane and not true at all” she laughs out loud at the thought.

“Sounds like things are going well in here” Melendez said walking into the room hearing Claire laugh.

“Yeah. Tommy is doing well” Claire smiled

“Feeling ok?” Melendez asked Tommy

“Yeah. A little restless and bored though” Tommy admitted.

“You’re getting there” Melendez smiled looking over the chart.

“Do you think I could connect my game console to the tv to give me something to do?” Tommy asked reluctantly

“I think it’s probably best to focus on getting some rest right now. You should be released soon enough and can get back to your screen times” Melendez replied.

Tommy frowned. “See” he mouthed to Claire with a devastated look on his face as he let his head fall back. Claire looked over at Melendez with a sad expression.

“What? You think he needs a video game?” Neil asked seeing Claire’s expression.

“I think it might help keep his mind occupied and therefore help in his recovery” Claire replied.

“Alright, fine. You can have a gaming console but there will be time limits, you still need to get rest” Neil agreed

Tommy grinned. “Thank you so much!”

“I’ll check on you a little later” Neil said as he got a page.

Claire finished up, “Told you” Tommy said to Claire as she shook her head. If only he knew how Melendez snapped in the stairwell this morning he may have a different opinion she thought to herself. 

**-Nurse Sanchez-**

Claire stood at the nurses’ station working on a chart. 

“Dr. Browne?” Nurse Sanchez asked as she walked over

Claire looked up from the chart, “Hi” she smiled

“I wanted to ask a favor, if I could” Nurse Sanchez explained hesitantly

“How can I help?” Claire asked setting the i-Pad down to give her full attention.

“We’ve been understaffed, as I’m sure you know” she began.

Claire nodded as she listened to the concern.

“I’ve mentioned this to Dr. Lim, but I think it would help if another doctor acknowledged it with her as well. That way she knows it’s not just us saying it but that doctors are seeing the effect also” Nurse Sanchez explained

“Ok, I can say something to her I’m just not sure how much weight my opinion will hold” Claire told her feeling a little helpless.

“Well, your opinion would definitely help but, um, if you could also think about, um brining it up to Doctor Melendez so that he can address it in their staff meeting I think it would really go a long way” she clarified.

“Have you already spoken to Dr. Melendez about this?” Claire asked not wanting to get into the middle of some office politics

“No, I haven’t yet. I thought that maybe you would, if you don’t mind” Nurse Sanchez replied.

“You know there’s a possibility he’d still come to you to ask about it, right?” Claire asked trying to figure out why Nurse Sanchez didn’t just go to him directly. “How many of the other residents have you asked?” she asked

“Just you” Nurse Sanchez replied

“So, not Dr. Reznick, Dr. Park, or Dr. Murphy?” Claire clarified wondering if the nurses’ goal was to have each resident got to Melendez about this and it backfire on the residents. After all, why not ask Park, he was the one that brought them doughnuts every week.

“No one and I don’t plan on asking anyone else. It’s just that, Dr. Melendez listens to you and values your opinion which is why I only came to you” Nurse Sanchez explained. “If you are uncomfortable or don’t want to it is ok” she assured.

“I don’t mind mentioning it to him, I have seen it so I do know. But he doesn’t listen to me more than anyone else so your best bet is probably to go directly to him.” Claire answered.

“I’ve seen him with you here and in the OR, he values what you say and think” Nurse Sanchez replied as if it should be completely obvious to Claire.


	3. Chapter 3

**Patient: Mrs. James**

Mrs. James was an older patient who had been in the hospital previously. Claire was working on drawing some blood when Dr. Melendez stopped in. 

“Hello Mrs. James. Nice to see you again” Melendez smiled. “How are you feeling?”

“Old” she laughed

“It looks like we’re going to be doing that heart surgery after all” he said standing beside her bed.

“So I hear” she sighed.

“I know, not your ideal time from home” Melendez smiled sympathetically knowing that Mrs. James had a husband at home who needed her and grandchildren she enjoyed seeing.

“And you’ll be in excellent hands” Claire said as she finished up with the blood. Even if

“Oh dear are you done?” Mrs. James asked

“All done” Claire smiled

“I didn’t even realize it” Mrs. James chuckled

“Dr. Browne is skilled” Melendez nodded proudly.

“I’m going to get these down to the lab, if you need anything just have me paged” she told the patient as she went to leave.

Mrs. James watched as Claire left. 

“You should ask that young lady out. She likes you” she tells Dr. Melendez

He chuckles in response.

“I’m serious! She’s quiet the catch. Pretty, smart, and good at what she does”

“That she is, she is also my resident though” he commented as he listened to her heart

“Oh please, if it’s right, it’s right. Don’t give be all that baloney” she told him. “She likes you, don’t you see the way she looks at you?”

Neil laughed “The way she looks at me?” he shook his head

“Yes! Her eyes light up and she looks over at you from the corner of her eye. Are we sure I’m in capable hands? Because if you aren’t seeing this I’m beginning to get worried” she told him.

“How about you get some rest for the time being, deal?” he smiled

“You’re going to miss out if you wait and that would be a shame” she shook her head as she talked.

Neil walked out of the room and found himself curious if Claire did look over at him without him realizing it. He thought about the way she’d play with her hair and smile when she responded to him. “No. stop” he told himself as he tried to stop his brain from thinking about the possibilities of more there.

**Dr. Morgan Reznick**

Neil went downstairs to get some lunch it had been a busy morning. He got a sandwich and sat down hoping to eat it in peace and quiet. 

“Hi Dr. Melendez!” Morgan came over and sat down with her tray. “Don’t worry, I’m not Claire so no one will talk” she joked as he hung his head when she came over.

Neil shook his head at the absurd statement.

“Would that be because you like to start the rumors?” he mumbled

“I’m sorry, what?” she asked not hearing exactly what he said.

“Nothing, what did you need?” he asked

“I have an article I’d like to submit to a journal and wanted to know if you could look over it and give me some feedback first” she asked

“Sure” he replied “just leave a copy on my desk”

“Thanks! I appreciate it. Gosh, today has been busy, hasn’t it?” she rambled

“Yeah. In fact, I have to head back up. I’ll see you around” he said as he got up. 

**Dr. Andrews**

Neil stopped by a vendor cart that sold pastries, cookies and coffee. He stood studying it for a moment. 

“What says I’m sorry I snapped?” he wondered in head trying to find a peace offering for Claire.

“Can I help you?” The young man behind the counter asked. He was early to mid 30’s, had a chiseled face, and looked like he should be on an Abercrombie ad.

“Um, can I get the white chocolate raspberry cookie?” he asked

“Sure” the man said as he grabbed a bag and noticed that there was only one. “Eh, actually, I apologize I didn’t realize it, we’re out” he replied

“What about… that one?” Neil asked

The man looked over as something caught his eye, “Dr. Browne!” he called out seeing Claire walk towards the cafeteria and holding a small bag up that he just put the white chocolate raspberry cookie in.

Neil looks over surprised.

“Last one!” he smiles as she walks over

“Thanks Sam!! You’re the best” she gives a big smile

Neil laughs at the irony of it.

“Dr. Melendez” Claire smiles politely as she turns to go on her way to the cafeteria.

“Sorry. She loves those. You know Dr. Browne?” Sam asks

“Yeah” Neil nods.

“I don’t mean to be forward, but do you know if she’s seeing anyone?” Sam inquired

Neil chuckled, “I don’t know” he answered. “Have a good day” he said deciding there was nothing else there he wanted.

Marcus watched from a few feet away. 

“Was there nothing you wanted or were you offended that he asked about Browne?” Marcus asked doing his best to hold in the smirk

“What are you talking about?” Neil brushed off the question

“Nothing” Marcus shook his head. “he’d just better hope he doesn’t ever need a cardiac surgeon here to save his life” Marcus laughed.

Neil pretended to ignore the statement. Answering personal questions about his residents is just not something he was supposed to do or even wanted to get into. It has nothing to do with the question being about Claire.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short, I know... but I figured it was something lol. I'm missing Melendaire.
> 
> Sidenote...remember PF Flyers from the Sandlot? 😍

**Smack Talk**

Neill stood in front of his locker as he changed his shirt. It had been a long day and he just finished it with surgery. Claire stood down at the end of the aisle of the lockers and cleared her throat to get his attention. Looking over he smiles at the big grin on her face even though he has no idea why it’s there.

She continues to stand there as she shifts from her tiptoes to heel on one foot, her hands behind her back.

“What?” Neil asked intrigued

“Nothing” Claire says as she shrugs and lifts her eyebrows

He chuckles trying to figure out where she’s going with this.

“You’re up to something” he says as he grabs his shoes and sits down on the bench

“Me?” she asks innocently

“Yeah you” he replies as he slides his foot into his shoe. 

She saucily walks over and sits down on the bench beside him and he sits up straight studying her to figure out the mystery behind her behavior. Narrowing his eyes as if it may help him decipher it he watches her. 

Amused, she swings her legs over so her feet are across his lap and she wiggles her feet back and forth.

“What?” he laughs.

“Ugh!” she lets out annoyed and points to her shoes. 

He looks down at them. “New kicks?” he laughs

“Oh not just new kicks” she grins swinging her legs back to the floor and standing.

“PF Flyers” she tells him confidently. “Jump higher, Run faster” she says repeating the shoes motto. “leave yo’ ass in in my dust” she says kicking up one heel.

Neil laughs. He isn’t sure he’s ever seen anyone more adorable than her in this moment. What he wouldn’t give to lean her against those lockers and kiss her, feel her curls in his fingers, see if her lips were as soft as they looked. 

“It’s going to take more than new kicks to beat me” he tells her.

“Didn’t you hear me? Jump higher. Run faster? These are so much more than just kicks.” She replies confidently.

“Oh ok” he nods with a smile he can’t seem to get rid of.

“See at the track tomorrow. Be prepared” She says with a wink.

He laughs to himself as he ties his shoes, still unable to get rid of the smile.

**Dr. Lim**

“Yeah, just colleagues, I totally see it” Audrey says standing there with her arms crossed.

“Seriously? Are you spying now or what is that? He asked rolling his eyes. “There was nothing even slightly inappropriate about our conversation” he finishes.

“Do you want to come to the track tomorrow?” he asks to make a point.

“No” she answers, he knows she hates running. She much prefers kickboxing classes to running.

“Ok then,” he says getting his bag and leaving.

**Surgery**

Neill text Claire to let her know he’s got an emergency surgery and won’t make their run. She replies back with a sad emoji but quickly follows with another reply.

“It’s ok. I know you were scared. Can’t hide from it forever though” she tells him.

He smiles as he quickly replies “I’ve got your number. You better be ready since you’re talking all this smack.”

Claire laughs seeing his reply. “I’m going to wear you out” she types before re-thinking if that is completely appropriate to send her boss. Instead, she sends and giphy that is saying “blah blah blah.”

She notices bubbles coming up on the screen and is curious about his reply. She finds herself looking forward to bantering with him.

“Ha! I was going to say if you wanted to scrub in on this surgery you could but maybe not” he replies

“Be there in 10!” she says as she rushes to get dressed and make it to the hospital.

She winds up beating him there and is waiting in scrubs by the operating room.

He walks up surprised to see her. “Hey” he smiles

“Gosh, I even beat you here. It would have been a good morning for a run” she shakes her head.

“I wasn’t racing you” he rolls his eyes

“Oh good, because otherwise, I would have beat you” she smirks as they wash their hands preparing for surgery. 

He wishes she wasn’t so cute when she was feisty. He shook his head trying to clear it. He can’t go there. 

“Thanks for letting me scrub in on this,” she tells him interrupting his thoughts. 

“Of course” he replies with one of those smiles that causes his eyes to light up too. 

“God he’s so hot,” she thinks to herself as she tries not to blush.

“Here we go,” she says as they enter the OR.


	5. Chapter 5

**Dr. Alex Park**

Alex walked into the nurse’s breakroom to drop off some fresh donuts. 

“They’re totally sleeping together” Nurse Hemmings said as she poured her coffee.

“Ladies” Alex greeted as he sat down the donuts.

“Dr. Park! You’re the best” Nurse Johnson told him as she peaked in one of the boxes.

“My pleasure, anything I can do” Alex smiled

“Hey, Dr. Park” Nurse Hemmings called out as Alex turned to leave.

Nurse Johnson shot over a look of surprise knowing what she’d ask.

“Can I ask you a question?” Nurse Hemmings inquired.

“Sure” Alex smiled

“Dr. Melendez and Dr Browne.” She stated

Alex waited a moment. “Ok? What’s your question?” he asked although he was pretty sure he knew where this was headed.

“Are they sleeping together?” she asked hesitantly

Alex laughed “I don’t think so”

“Really?” Nurse Johnson asked the surprise in her voice evident. “They sure seem like it.”

“Seriously. The way they were looking at each other in surgery this morning… I wanted to ask if they needed the room” Nurse Hemmings chuckled taking a sip of her coffee.

“Surgery this morning?” Alex asked

“Yeah, there was an emergency surgery that Dr. Melendez had to do and Dr. Browne was there too” Nurse Johnson replied grabbing a donut. “You seriously don’t think there’s anything going on there?” she asks again

“I stay out of all that” Alex laughed uncomfortably. “I’ll see you ladies later, enjoy the donuts” he said as he headed towards the resident’s lounge. On his way he saw Morgan headed there as well.

“Hey, did you hear about a surgery this morning with Melendez?” He asks

“No, I’m on Andrews service though this week. Why?” Morgan asks curiously

“Just curious. Browne scrubbed in on it but I didn’t hear anything about it” Park replies as they walk

“Ha. And that surprises you? Please” Morgan rolled her eyes

They walk into the resident’s lounge and see Claire at the table doing some research. Morgan plops down on the couch and Alex sits across from Claire.

“You were on a surgery with Melendez this morning? He asks her leaning his arms on the table

“Yeah” she replies casually. “There was an emergency surgery and I was here so he let me scrub in” she explains which is no exactly the truth but that would cause an even bigger issue.

“Hmm” Alex says accusingly. 

“Ok, what?” Claire asks annoyed as she puts her pen down.

“You realize he’s not doing you any favors by this right?” Alex replies

“By doing what? Letting me scrub in on a surgery because I’m here?” Claire says with a huff

“By giving you special treatment because he likes you. He thinks your pretty and probably wouldn’t mind taking things a little further so if he gives you additional opportunities maybe you’ll be a little more open to that” Alex accuses. He is more concerned for Claire’s career than the words sound when they come out. 

Morgan’s mouth drops hearing the conversation and she can’t help but look over.

“WHAT?” Claire asks appalled. “First of all that is completely and totally untrue. Second of all, I have worked my ASS OFF to get where I am. Nothing has been handed to me- period. It sounds to me like you’ve got your own bias towards women that you need to deal with” She says with more anger than any of them have ever seen in her.

Neil comes in at the point where she is explaining that she’s worked her ass off and stands shocked listening.   
  


“What’s going on in here?” He asks looking at Park and Claire.

“Nothing” Claire replies as she leaves the room.

Neil stands one hand on his hip. “That was obviously not nothing and I want an explanation,” he says looking at Park then Morgan. 

“Oh, I ‘ve got a patient to check on really quick,” Morgan says getting up and leaving.

Neil looks back at Alex.

“We can have this conversation, or it can be had in HR it’s your choice,” Neil tells him

“I was just trying to explain to Dr. Browne that she needs to be careful of compromising situations” Alex replied

“What kind of compromising situations?” Neil asked

“Things that will cause her abilities to be called into question” Alex answered.

“Like?” Neil pressed

“Scrubbing in on a surgery that no one else knew about because she was here” Alex replied.

Neil stood for a moment trying not to give a knee jerk reaction about how Park was mad due to jealousy.

“I’m just saying” Alex began “As her mentor, you don’t want to put her in a position where people could question her accomplishments. Having her scrub in on an emergency surgery because she is here when people already question if she gets special treatment probably isn’t the best idea” Alex said

“Are you accusing me of something Dr. Park?” Neil asked

“No, I’m just bringing it to your attention” Park replied

“Let me bring something to your attention. I treat all of my residents equally and fairly. If you feel differently, we can talk about that but under no circumstance should there be gossip and unfounded rumors spread are we clear?” Melendez asked his tone obviously irritated.

“Yes sir” Park said as he got up from the table and walked out.

Neil was pissed but it caused him to question himself as well and if he had put Claire in an awkward position by allowing her to scrub in on the surgery.


	6. Chapter 6

Claire was picking up some bloodwork from the lab when Melendez rounded the corner and saw her. 

“Hey” he looked concerned, “everything ok?” he asks

Her face gives her away as she rolls her eyes. “It’s fine” she says walking

“What happened this morning?” he asks looking straight ahead.

“I have a patient down in the ER I had some bloodwork run” she replies knowing that’s not what he means.

She realizes he’s stopped walking and turns around to take a few steps back towards him. 

“I don’t know” she tosses her hands up.

“Did you mention the surgery to him?” Neil asked trying to figure out how it came up.

“No, I didn’t tell him” Claire replied looking offended that he would suggest she boasted about it.

“I was just…” he shook his head. He stepped right in that one he thought as he rubbed his forehead.

“He came into the lounge first thing this morning asking if I had been in a surgery with you and I told him yes. I was already at the hospital and you said I could scrub in.”

“What were you explaining to him about having worked your ass off?” he asks wondering what prompted that part of the conversation.

“Ugh, nothing” She rolled her eyes “I really need to get back to this patient” she says holding up the folder.

“Fine” Neil replied giving up for now. She obviously wasn’t going to talk about it and pushing the issue wasn’t going to help. 

Claire typically got over things quickly, but Alex had struck a nerve. How dare he insinuate that she is where she’s at because of anything other than determination on her part. And of course, Morgan didn’t speak up at all. Office politics were childish and a waste of time. Maybe she needs to look into a non-verbal specialty.

Later in the day they had a patient that needed a bypass done. She headed into surgery with Melendez and Park. The tension was still pretty thick in the air between she and Park but she was professional enough to set it to the side. During the surgery she offered to assist, but Melendez declined.

“Actually, I’m going to let Dr. Park do that” he replied as he handed Alex the tools. Claire stepped back.

Once the procedure was complete Melendez told Park he could finish up and close, that he did a great job. If it were possible to shoot laser beams out of her eyes, Neil’s head would no longer be on his shoulders. Because of how she was wired though, she stood there and waited as it was completed and scrubbed out at the end. A piece of her wanted to make a big deal of how unfair this was and throw her gown on the ground and stomp off, but she resisted. 

“What the hell was that about?” she asked essentially storming into Melendez’s office.

“I’m sorry, what?” He said as he finished what he was writing on a piece of paper.

“The surgery. If I was going to just stand back and observe I could have been somewhere else and been more effective” she answers.

“You’re not always going to get the chance to participate in a surgery. Sometimes observing can be just as helpful and educational as doing it yourself.” he replies. 

“So it has nothing to do with Park complaining about the surgery yesterday morning? Because that was basically a solo surgery” She asks clenching her jaw as her she squeezes and releases her fist down by her leg in an effort to control her emotion.

“You’re overreacting and you need to calm down” Neil tells her

His statement does anything but make her want to calm down. He, like everyone else that she’s allowed into her life takes any side but hers when the chips are down and she should have seen it coming.

“I’m overreacting.” She nods, her eyes glassing over. “Ok” she says turning and leaving the office.

Neil leans his head back. It feels like someone just stabbed him in the heart. Maybe he shouldn’t have let Park handle the majority of the surgery but in the moment if felt like a middle ground that would take the heat off of Claire.

**Patient: Charles Green**

The next morning, he went to the track for their run, but she didn’t show. Normally, they’d confirm before leaving work the day before, but she was angry and avoided him all she could. When he got to the hospital, she was coming out of a patient’s room.

“Hey, missed you at the track this morning,” he said as she looked over at him. 

“Mr. Charles Green, 64 years old, Caucasian male, the patient is having shortness of breath and feels a tightness in his chest but no one can tell him why. Occasionally he will have dizzy spells and is unable to move around. There’s nothing showing up in his bloodwork that looks abnormal. I’m scheduling an CT scan and EKG to see if there’s something that will show” she explained as she handed him the folder and they continued walking. 

If he gets any closer, they’ll need to treat him for frostbite, Melendez thinks to himself. Alex comes up beside them, “Sorry I’m late, I got a flat on the expressway” he says as he picks up the pace to walk with them. Neil hands him the patient file to review. 

“Review this while Dr. Browne gets the does the test and then we’ll review it” he instructs.

Claire gets the EKG machine for the test as Melendez walks with her.

“Mr. Green, this is Dr. Melendez, he’s an attending here and will be overseeing your case” she explains as she gets everything set up.

“I’m ok with just you” Mr. Green replies

“Hi Mr. Green, can you tell me what’s been going on?” Neil asked standing beside the bed.

“I’ve already explained to Dr. Browne, and I think she has it under control” he replies

“I’m sorry, Dr. um, Melendez, my husband is just frustrated because he’s been to a few different doctors” Mrs. Green interjected.

  
“I understand the frustration, we just want to make sure we get this figured out for you” Melendez empathized. “Dr. Browne told me that you have been feeling a shortness of breath, tightness in your chest and have occasional dizzy spells?”

“Yes.” He replies

Claire starts the EKG and they look at his heart, but nothing jumps out as abnormal. 

“Ok Mr. Green, I’m going to take your down for the CT scan and then we’ll review everything” she says patting his arm.

Neil goes with her to get the CT Scan and sits in the chair beside her while she runs it.

Pressing the mic, she lets the patient know that the test will begin momentarily and to remain as still as possible.

Neil watches as the image starts to show on the screen and leans in closer to try and see.

“Do you want to switch seats?” she asks turning towards him

“No, I was just looking at the screen” he replies backing up.

She makes a face as she studies the screen herself as well.

“Are you mad?” he finally asks

“Why would I be mad?” she asks

“I don’t know. I was just asking” he replies. “I’ll let you finish up here” he says as he gets up. 

Claire finishes the scan and gets the patient back to his room.

“So” Mr. Green says as she wheels him to the elevator.

“We’ll look at the scans and see if anything is there to give us some more information” Claire says as the elevator doors open.

Mr. Green nods. He sits quietly for a second while the doors close.

“So, you and Dr. Melendez a thing?” he asks as Claire stands behind the wheelchair.

“I’m sorry, what?” she asks thinking she must have misheard.

“You and Dr. Melendez. Either you hate him or your having some lovers quarrel from what I can tell”

Claire laughs. “Neither. He’s a fantastic surgeon and he’s my boss” she replies hoping that the patient isn’t feeling her current animosity towards Melendez.

“You guys have this vibe” Mr. Green says as the doors open. 

“I don’t know about that, but we’re going to do our best to get you some answers for sure” Claire replies as she pushes him down to his room.

Park and Melendez had set everything up in the lounge to go over. Claire brought in the scans and they went over the various scenarios coming to the conclusion that hit could be an infection or it he could need surgery.

“Start him on antibiotics and let’s see if that helps clear it up, if not we’ll have to go the surgery route” Melendez instructs.


	7. Chapter 7

Claire gets ready to leave and Park catches up with her as she heads out.

“Hey, about earlier. I didn’t mean to offend you at all. I was just trying to say to be careful” he explained.

“I understand and appreciate your concern but trust me I can handle myself, I have my entire life” she tells him as she turns to go.

**The WId Tale Restaraunt**

It was late, and she was beyond moody not to mention hungry. She decides to stop by Wild Tale Restaurant for a drink and a bite to eat. 

She takes a seat at the end of the bar and orders a drink. The longer she simmers on it the angrier she gets about the day. She’s so tired of being mad. At everything. But even when she tries not to be something else comes along and kicks her in the pants.

She closes her yes and takes a drink trying to let go of the day. She sees someone come and pull up a barstool beside her. 

“Ugh” she thought to herself as she went to sit the drink down hoping she could just pretend whoever it was would go away.

“Are you mad at me?” the person asked

She looked over at the voice and let out a huff.

She pulls out her wallet and grabs some cash to pay for her drink.

“So you are mad? Running away isn’t going to solve anything” he tells her

“I’m not running. I’m respecting my boss as well as the fact that I am off the clock and free to say whatever I want but am choosing professionalism” she says grabbing her jacket

“Say whatever it is you want. I can take it. There’s no repercussions here” he holds his hands up

Claire leans her head back. “fine” she thinks to herself as she sits.

“I’m not mad” she says playing with her cup

“Are you mad at me still about the surgery? I thought that allowing Park to do the surgery would balance out the one that you were in earlier since he was complaining” he explains

“Balance it out? Park was playing dad and came in to tell me that you allowed me to scrub into the surgery not because I was there, but because I am pretty and if you give me a few opportunities like that maybe I’ll be more open to (air quotes)returning the favor (air quotes).

Neil sat in absolute shock. 

“He said that to you?? I would never. I have never attempted or even thought that. Any opportunity you have gotten you have earned” he replied still baffled that Alex would say this to her.

“THEN, YOU go and let him handle basically and entire surgery” she says pointing her finder directly at him, “as if you are punishing me for doing something wrong accusing me of overreacting to the situation. Thanks for having my back by the way, as my boss and as my friend. Very appreciated.” She snaps as tears well up in her eyes.

“Claire, I…” he started but shook his head

“There’s nothing to say. It’s something I’m used to really. If anyone is at fault it’s me” she wipes her eye and looks up trying to get her emotions in check.

He wanted to go crawl into a hole and die. Who did he think he was coming here tonight and asking her for information when in reality he had failed to do his own job as her boss and her friend.

“I’m sorry. I am truly truly sorry” he says looking down at the bar and shaking his head.

“It’s fine. I’m over it. It’s just, you know what really sucks though? I’m tired of everybody having an opinion on a friendship but because they’re convinced there’s more there or there’s an underlying manipulation, and they ruin it.” She picks up her glass and takes the last drink. 

Neil wiped his eye trying with his thumb to hide the tear falling. He had failed her and it hurt like hell.

“It doesn’t have to ruin it” he says his voice cracking as the words come out knowing she’s going to tell him that it does…but he has to try. “Screw people and what they think” he says looking over at her.

“That worked out well for us the last time” she let out a laugh at the irony

“It will be different this time” he replied.

There had to be a way to fix this. He knew what Alex’s issue was and he should have just addressed it head on instead of moving around it. 

She nodded as she looked straight ahead before turning and getting up.

“Claire” he said feeling like his heart was literally being ripped out of his chest. 

She turns towards him, placing her hands on the side of his face and presses her lips onto his. 

She knows he’d never try and manipulate her into some sort of favor, the only thing she can do now is prove there’s no secret desire between them. She’ll kiss him, it will be awkward and then they can move on. Maybe not as the close friends they were but as people who can honestly dispute that there is anything between them. 

The move surprises him, but it only takes a second for him to react and open his lips to kiss her back as his hand rest on her waist. Her head is spinning like she’s on a tilt-a-whirl but at the same time it feels so good. Her tongue dancing with his as they explore. 

Her hands move from his face down to his chest as she can feel his heartbeat pounding through it, matching her own. She starts to pull back when he moves his hand to the side of her face then to the back of her neck. He’s not ready for this to end. He’s not even sure if it’s actually happening or if it’s his imagination. Her lips taste like vodka and blueberries. He had no idea that either could possibly taste this good.

They break the kiss, out of the need for air and the uncontrollable urge they each have for their hands to explore as well.

Claire steps back slightly placing her fingers on her lips, “I um. I should go” she says her breath ragged feeling like she’s on a high but unsure of what to do. She grabs her bag and quickly exits.

Neil quickly follows her “Claire, wait” he says as he catches up. She turns around, her face flush.

“I should go, before.. I should get home” she says stumbling with her words.

He stands there for a moment, feeling the same conflict that she is inside. As she puts her hand on the door handle though, he places his hand over hers causing her to look over. He cups her face in his hands and kisses her once more hoping that this lets her know he feels the electricity between them too. She moans as his mouth is against hers her back now against the door. 

He doesn’t want to make this awkward and isn’t sure what exactly to do. 

“Goodnight” he whispers as he takes a step back

Claire smiles, “Goodnight” she replies as she gets in the car her head still spinning.

“What the hell just happened” she asked herself out loud. She was somewhere between wanting to squeal out of pure delight and wanting to run and hide.

Neil walked to his car, absent mindedly touching his lips as if to make sure they were still there. He knew that he found her attractive and smart but would have never actually tested the waters of it being more than a thought. Then she kissed him and his world felt upside down but in the best way possible.


	8. Chapter 8

Claire didn’t sleep much that night. She decided to take what had become a very rare sick day to sort things out in her head. Picking up the phone she pulled up a text.

“Good Morning, I’m not feeling so good this morning, so I won’t’ be in today. Thanks”

Neil was getting ready to head into the hospital when he got her text. Seeing there was a text from her made his heart jump a little. Opening it though it felt like the first big drop on a rollercoaster.

“No problem feel better” he replied. 

Claire looked at the text and sat the phone down. She thought about getting dressed and going for a run to clear her head but honestly, it just made her think of him. Forcing herself to get out of bed so she didn’t lay and wallow in her misery of unknowns. She got dressed and decided to do an online yoga video.

Neil got into the hospital, his mind still wondering about Claire. Their patient Mr. Green seemed to be responding to the antibiotics well. Neil went in to check on their other patient Mrs. James who was recovering from her surgery. Morgan was in doing vitals. 

“Dr. Melendez” Mrs. James smiled “are you here to release me?”

“She’s been asking all morning” Morgan laughed

Neil looked over the chart. “Everything is looking good” he smiled. 

Morgan finished up and left to check on other patients. 

“Where’s Dr. Browne?” Mrs. James asked

“She’s not in today” Neil forced a smile

“Oh” Mrs. James replied sadly. “Dr. Reznick is nice but, a little odd” she shakes her head

Neil chuckles as he listens to her heart.

“So have you asked her out yet?” Mrs. James asked

Neil laughed again. “Deep breaths” he instructed

“Not until you answer me” she replies at this point knowing how he works and that her question will be avoided.

Neil gives her a sympathetic look. “Deep breaths, please,” he asks again

Mrs. James sits defiantly and holds her breath.

“Really?” he asks amused.

“I just want the best for you, Dr. Melendez. What if I need you again? I need you to be at the top of your game and quite frankly if you are happy on a personal level it can make a world of difference” she explains.

“It’s not an appropriate relationship for an attending and resident” he shrugs. “Now can you do deep breaths?”

She obliges as she can tell he’s not frustrated. 

“Well, ok I have an older grandson that I can introduce to her then and I won’t feel bad” she replies

Neil seems to ignore the comment. 

“You’re impossible do you know that?” Mrs. James huffed.

Neil gave in and laughed. “If you had a grandson old enough to date Dr. Browne you would have introduced him sooner and not given me first option, we both know that.”

“Ok, ok. I’m just trying to look out for you” she smiles.

“And I appreciate it. Good news is, it looks like you’re doing great. I’m going to get your discharge paperwork started” he tells her.

Neil had Morgan start the discharge paperwork and left for an early lunch. 

Against his better judgment, he picked up some soup from a local sandwich shop and decided to take it to Claire. He needed to make sure she wasn’t afraid of some awkwardness between them that caused her to call out. 

It seemed like a great idea, right up until he got to the door to knock. 

“What am I doing?” he wondered in his head. It was like he was a lovesick teenager who just couldn’t help it. He was there though, so he knocked.

Claire looked towards the door, thinking she heard a knock but wasn’t sure. She wasn’t expecting anyone. After a few seconds there was another light knock. She opens the door slowly surprised to see Neil on the other side. 

“Dr. Melendez” she says out of both surprise and habit. “Um, hi” she smiles feeling awkward as she stands there in a sports bra and workout shorts.

“Hey. Sorry I didn’t call first, I was out getting lunch and I thought I’d bring you some soup since you weren’t feeling well.” He holds out the bag. ‘Did she really just call me Dr. Melendez?’ he wonders to himself assuming she’s made the decision on their personal line.

“Oh, thank you, that was very thoughtful” she says as she takes it.

“Do you want to come inside? I was just doing some stretching to see if it would help” she explains gesturing over her outfit with her hand.

Neil nods as he listens, “Um no, that’s ok I just wanted to drop this off for you and make sure you were doing ok” he says as he can feel his heart breaking even though he had already tried to convince it that they weren’t mean to be.

“Are you sure? That’s a lot of soup I can split it with you” she offers but it sounds like its more out of a sense of obligation than want.

“Yeah, I’m good. Thank you though. I just wanted to make sure you were doing ok. Hopefully it’s just one of those 24-hour things” he replies

“Yeah” she smiles and sit the soup on a table by the door.

“Ok then, I’ll see you tomorrow” he says rubbing the back of his neck.

He turns to walk but Claire stops him.

“About last night” she says as she fidgets with her hands and seems nervous and uncomfortable.

He turns and takes a step back towards her.

“We’re good. I meant it when I said there were no repercussions for whatever you wanted to say” he replies.

She looks up at him through her lashes the same way that she does sometimes in surgery that makes his knees feel weak. 

She nods.

“Hope you feel better” he smiles

“So you didn’t feel anything?” she asks focusing on the ground

“I didn’t say that.” He replies and she looks up

“I thought maybe it would be awkward or bland and it would let us move on from all this talk” she says as she pauses. “but it wasn’t”

Neil nods “no, it definitely wasn’t” he agrees as he looks at her.

She smiles and inside feels so relieved that he felt something. He takes a couple steps forward to close the gap between them. She kisses his lips, softly at first but quickly becoming more heated. He puts his hands on her waist pulling her closer, the feel of her bare skin under his fingertips only causes things to escalate. 

She pulls him inside, unbuttoning his shirt as quickly as she can. His lips on her neck, his hands pulling her closer. It’s fierce and passionate. They make their way to her bedroom where any clothing left is removed and their bodies are intertwined between sheets. He lifts her legs to rest on his shoulders as he thrust into her.

“MMMM. Yes” she moans

They’re suddenly interrupted by his phone ringing. 

“F*ck” he mumbles hearing it ring.

“Don’t stop, please don’t stop” she asks

He continues increasing his speed as he feels her orgasm and he follows. 

The phone stops ringing and. A second later starts again.

‘UGH,” he huffs. He pulls it out to see it’s the hospital. 

“Melendez” he answers out of breath

“Dr. Melendez, this is Shaun. The patient’s blood results came back and were normal.”

“Ok,” he says not irritated that it wasn’t anything important. 

“Will you be back soon from lunch?” Shaun asks

“Yes, Murphy” Neil replies hanging up the phone.

“Is everything ok?” Claire asks

“Yeah, it was nothing and I’m glad I waited to answer” he laughs as he leans over and kisses her neck.

“I do have to get back though” he laments as he traces his finger down her side and then up her stomach

Claire bites her lip and looks at him.

“Don’t do that. I’m never going to be able to leave if you keep looking at me like that” he tells her pulling her on top of him. “Especially since I don’t get the pleasure of working with you today” he says as she rocks against him while she straddles him. 

“But you’re still getting some pleasure with me so that counts right?” she says resting her hands on his chest as she rides him.

“F*ck” he moans as he holds her hips watching her bounce up and down on him.

“One more reason for you to be my favorite,” he says as he flips her over quickly causing her to squeal. 


End file.
